Quick install/remove stove guard for drop-in cooktops

ABSTRACT

A stove guard for a drop-in cooktop is attached to the front edge of a kitchen countertop by inserting the guard panel into two holding devices which are attached onto the front surface of the countertop. The guard prevents young children from reaching the burners, control knobs and cookware on the cooktop. The guard can be installed or removed in seconds.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention is related to a drop-in cooktop stove guard, whichprevents small children from reaching the burners, control knobs andcookware on the cooktop. The guard also prevents small children fromcoming in contact with heated liquid or other foods that may bubble orsplash from cookware on the cooktop. The guard can be installed orremoved in seconds.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Two patent applications were filed by the present inventor for quickinstall/remove stove guards. The previous stove guard designs permit theuse of the guard only on conventional free-standing stoves and can notbe applied to a drop-in cooktop. The current design addresses theapplication of a stove guard which can be attached to the front edge ofthe kitchen countertop and provide a barrier between small children anda drop-in cooktop.

Other stove guards were invented in the prior art to prevent smallchildren from reaching the stove burners, control knobs and cookwarewhile cooking as listed on the following list:

4157705 June 1979 Caan 4517955 May 1985 Ehrlich et al. 4836181 June 1989Saga 5546928 August 1996 Lewis et al. 5758636 June 1998 Butrimas et al.5842464 December 1998 Koch

Those devices described in the prior art and included on the above listoften require complicated installation procedures. Once installed, thedevices are difficult to remove for cleaning. In some cases, the guardpanels are attached to the top of the stove surface, making the guardpanel vulnerable to heat damage.

The complicated installing and removing devices of those included on theabove list make those guards less likely to be used on a regular basiswhen small children are present, and this departs from the purpose ofthe inventions. Therefore, new and improved stove guards are needed toovercome the disadvantages of the existing inventions. The currentinvention addresses this need for drop-in cooktops.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of this invention is to provide a reliable and simple wayto install a stove guard on a drop-in cooktop to prevent small childrenfrom reaching the stove burners, control knobs and cookware whilecooking. The present invention provides a stove guard that can beinstalled or removed in seconds, which increases the likelihood thatparents and other caregivers of small children will use it morefrequently. Two identical guard panel holding devices are attached tothe front surface of a kitchen countertop where the drop-in cooktop islocated.

The guard panel is not attached to the top surface of the cooktop wherethe burners are located, thus minimizing the chance that heat damage tothe guard panel will occur during use. When installed, the upper portionof the guard panel bends about 45 degrees outward from the edge of thekitchen countertop to provide more room for cookware handles andutensils and to increase the rigidity of the guard panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a view of a drop-in cooktop with the guard panel holdingdevices attached to the front surface of the kitchen countertop.

FIG. 2 is the perspective view of the drop-in cooktop with the stoveguard installed in a secured upright position.

FIG. 3 is the view of one of the two identical guard panel holdingdevices.

FIG. 4 is the view of the guard panel. The upper portion of the panel isbent outward by about 45 degrees.

FIG. 5 is the side view of the guard panel. The upper portion is bent byabout 45 degrees.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention provides a design of a quick install/remove stove guardfor drop-in cooktops. For the purposes of promoting an understanding ofthe principles of the invention, reference will now be made to theembodiments illustrated in the drawings referred to as FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 is a view of a typical drop-in cooktop 10 mounted on the kitchencountertop 40. Burners 20 are located on the top of the cooktop 10.Control knobs 30 are located on the right of the cooktop. Two identicalguard panel holding devices 50 are attached to the front surface of thecountertop with double-faced adhesive tape 60. The holding devices 50provide two vertical slots 80 for accepting the guard panel 70 (FIG. 2).

FIG. 2 is the perspective view of the drop-in cooktop with the stoveguard panel 70 supported by two identical guard panel holding devices 50that are attached to the front surface of the countertop withdouble-faced adhesive tape 60. The lower portion of the guard panel 70is inserted into the vertical slots 80 of the guard panel holdingdevices 50 which hold the guard panel in a secured upright position.

FIG. 3 is the view of one of the two identical guard panel holdingdevices 50. Double-faced adhesive tape 60 is attached to the portion ofthe guard panel holding device 50 that will contact the countertopsurface; that is, the horizontal portion of the holding device. Thevertical slot 80 is perpendicular to the horizontal portion of theholding device 50.

FIG. 4 is the view of the guard panel 70. The upper portion of the panel70 is bent by about 45 degrees so that when installed, this portion ofthe guard panel extends outward to provide more space for cookware, toavoid heat damage and to increase the rigidity of the guard panel 70.

FIG. 5 is the cross-section view of the guard panel 70. The upperportion of the panel 70 is bent outward by about 45 degrees.

The guard panel 70 and guard panel holding devices 50 can be made ofplastic, aluminum, other metals or other durable materials.

1-3. (canceled)
 4. A quick-install/quick-removable stove guardcomprising: at least two guard panel holding devices, each of said guardpanel holding devices with vertical slots substantially perpendicular tothe countertop surface, said guard panel holding devices affixed to thecountertop along the front of the stove; and a guard panel removablypositioned within the guard panel holding device vertical slots suchthat said guard panel occupies substantially all of, and extendsupwardly from, the front of the stove-top.
 5. Thequick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 4, wherein the guardpanel holding devices are affixed to the countertop using double-sidedadhesive tape.
 6. The quick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim5, wherein the guard panel is bent outwards from the countertop, havingan angle substantially between 120 and 150 degrees with the countertop.7. The quick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 6, wherein theguard panel is bent outwards from the countertop, having an angle ofsubstantially 135 degrees with the countertop.
 8. Thequick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 5, wherein the guardpanel holding devices are each shaped to have a flat part that extendsover the top of the countertop near an edge of thereof and a u-shapedpart extending outwardly from the flat part forming a groove disposedabout a longer dimension of the guard panel holding device to hold theguard panel in a substantially upwardly position.
 9. Thequick-install/quick-removable stove guard of claim 5, further includingat least two double-faced adhesive tapes, each disposed under the flatpart of a corresponding guard panel holding device that secures theguard panel holding device to the top of the countertop.